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Older adults who maintain social contact, whether with a spouse, friends, or like-minded people, have fewer health problems. For example, older adults who are married or living with a roommate tend to have better health than those who are single. Elderly people who live alone are also less likely to be admitted to a hospital or nursing home than single people.
When an older person lives alone, new problems and symptoms may go unnoticed due to lack of social interaction. A lonely elderly person has no one to help with taking medications. They may refuse to prepare and eat balanced meals because of physical impairments, their loneliness, or their inability to drive or go to the grocery store. Also, seniors who live alone are more likely to suffer from loneliness and depression.
Sometimes living with a relative or another person can cause problems. Older people may hide or downplay their health problems because they do not want to impose on their relative or cause discomfort. If a member of the household is unhappy with the living arrangements, older people may suffer neglect or mistreatment (psychologically or even physically).
More educated people tend to identify disorders earlier and achieve better treatment outcomes even when the disorder is detected late.
In the U.S., poverty is more prevalent among the elderly than in the general population, despite the financial assistance provided by Medicare, Medicaid, and the Social Security program. Medicare Part D (the prescription drug insurance coverage program) has made drug costs more manageable, especially for low-income seniors. However, despite these programs, some seniors still have significant out-of-pocket expenses, making it difficult to pay for medical care. If a person cannot afford to pay for health care costs, treatable disorders often remain under-treated or untreated, or treatment occurs at a late stage.
It can be difficult for older adults to cope with the many changes associated with aging, such as retirement, loss of loved ones, and the development of disorders. These can make seniors feel lonely, useless, powerless, or sad. Their self-esteem may decrease. They may worry about becoming a burden to their family. They may become depressed, especially if they suffer from a disorder that results in a temporary or permanent loss of independence, or see their friends or loved ones pass away. Because of these feelings, older adults may refuse to see a doctor, thereby possibly delaying a disappointingdiagnosis. However, studies have shown that older adults cope with these problems better than younger adults.
Age-related changes and how older people respond to them can make it difficult to treat disorders in older people. Therefore, older people often benefit from interdisciplinary care, care that is provided by a team of health professionals working together. Such a team may consist of doctors, nurses, social workers, therapists, pharmacists and psychologists. The care team assesses the patient's needs and plans, coordinates and delivers health care, including social services. Team members actively seek to identify potential problems and take steps to correct or prevent them.
